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UNIVERSITY OF MYSORE
Submitted by:
ABDUL KAREEM
VI Semester BTH
Reg. No. : TH150001
CERTIFICATE
Place : Mysore
Date :
Guide
Prof. GEORGE JAISON
Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management
Bachelor of Tourism and Hospitality Management
Mysore – 570 016
CERTIFICATE
Place : Mysore
Date :
HOD
Prof. GEORGE JAISON
Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management
Bachelor of Tourism and Hospitality Management
Mysore – 570 016
CERTIFICATE
Place : Mysore
Date :
Director
Prof. H.N SATISH
DECLARATION
work done under the guidance of Prof. GEORGE JAISON, faculty for the
and that it has not been previously submitted for the award of any
Teachers and my Friends, without their support this project not have been
completed. I would like to extend my heartiest thanks to all those who have
I would like to thank all the Teaching & Non teaching staff, of Dept.
BTHM, who devoted their precious time in helping me.
Abdul Kareem
SYNOPSIS
Submitted by :
ABDUL KAREEM
INTRODUCTION
Millets, which the Deccan Development Society believes as God’s Own Crops, are truly
wonder grains. They can grow on the most marginalized soils— without irrigation,and with
very little or sometimes no external inputs. They are veritable storehouses of health and
nutrition.
Millet is one of the oldest foods known to humans and possibly the first cereal grain to be used
for domestic purposes. Millet has been used in Africa and India as a staple food for thousands
of years and it was grown as early as 2700 BC. In China where it was the prevalent grain before
rice became the dominant staple. There is a mention in Bible that millets during those times
were used to make bread. It is documented that the plant was also grown by the lake dwellers
of Switzerland during the Stone Age.
METHODOLOGY
Importance of millets
India is on the threshold of discussing the Food Security Bill which will have far
reaching implications for the poor and the marginalized, in their struggle to access food and
nutrition to lead a dignified and healthy life. Millet Network of India has for long, taken the
stand that we as a nation, should not just be settling for food security; we should be striving for
food sovereignty. This implies that we focus on giving the control over the production,
distribution and consumption of food back to the people. One of the steps in doing this would
beto bring millets back into the food security debate; for millions of households in the dry land
and hilly regions of the country depend on these crops to meet their food needs. We have for
long been arguing that the introduction of millets into the public distribution system and into
government food programmes like the mid-day meal scheme, is important to achieve the aim
of food sovereignty. The recent Global Hunger Index ranks India 64 out of 81 nations. Further,
India ranks second in the incidences of malnutrition among children. This is happening despite
the universal public distribution system that we have been following for decades.
Types of millets
• Sorghum (Jowar)
• Foxtail millet
• Finger millet (ragi)
• Pearl millet (Bajra)
• Barnyard millet
• Kodo millet
• Little Millet
• Proso Millet
Health benefits of millet
• Millets help to fight Type-2 Diabetes
• Millets are as nutritious as Fruits and Vegetables
• Millets fight Heart Diseases
• Millets help to prevent Gallstones
• Millets role in childhood asthma
Food Preparation using Millets
• Millet instead of rice
• Millets in khichdi or Pongal
• Millet for upma
• Millets incorporated in the wheat flour
• Chocolate sauce
CONTENTS
Sl. No. Title Page No.
1 Introduction 01
2 History 02
3 Background 03
4 Importance of millets 05
5 Methodology
6 Types of millets 06
7 Importance of different types of millets 10
8 Nutrient content of millets 11
9 Difference between cereals and millets 12
10 Cultivation and harvesting 15
11 Sowing and transplanting 21
12 Growing millet at home 32
13 Threats on millets cultivation 36
14 The responsible factors limiting productivity 37
of millets
15 Suggestions to improving the millets 38
cultivation
16 Advantages of millets 39
17 Health benefits of millet 40
18 Food Preparation using Millets: 48
19 Millet based food products 69
20 Millet side effects 75
21 Usage of millets 76
22 Production 77
23 Reasons for losing the millet diversity 82
24 Government policy 84
25 Limitations 86
26 Summary 87
27 Conclusion 89
28 Bibliography 91
A study on cultivation, harvesting processing and health benefits of millets
INTRODUCTION
Millets are a group of highly variable small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the
world ascerealcrops or grains for fodder and human food. Millets are important crops in the
semiaridtropics of Asia and Africa (especially in India, Mali, Nigeria, and Niger), with 97%
of milletproduction in developing countries. The crop is favored due to its productivity and
short growingseason under dry, high-temperature conditions.
Millets are indigenous to many parts of the world. The most widely grown millet is
pearl millet,which is an important crop in India and parts of Africa.Finger millet, proso
millet, and foxtailmillet are also important crop species.Millets have been important food
staples in humanhistory, particularly in Asia and Africa. They have been in cultivation in East
Asia for the last 10,000 years Millets are one of the oldest foods known to humans & possibly
the firstcereal grain to be used for domestic purposes ”.Millets are small-seeded grasses that
are hardyand grow well in dry zones as rain-fed crops, under marginal conditions of soil
fertility andmoisture. Millets are also unique due to their short growing season. They can
develop fromplanted seeds to mature, ready to harvest plants in as little as 65 days. This is
important inheavily populated areas. When properly stored, whole millets will keep for two
or more years.
Millets need very little water for their production. Compared to irrigated commodity
cropscurrentlypromoted by policy measures, millets and require just around 25% of the
rainfallregime demanded by crops such as sugarcane and banana. Thus, they do not burden
the statewithdemands for irrigation or power.Millets are often growing on skeletal soils
thatare less than 15 cm deep. It does not demand rich soils for their survival and growth.
Hence, for thevast dryland area, they are a boon.Millet production is not dependent on the use
of syntheticfertilizers. Most millet farmers therefore usefarmyard manures and in recent
times, householdproduced biofertilisers. Therefore, they cansignificantly reduce the huge
burden of fertilizersubsidy borne by the government.Grown under traditional methods, no
millet attracts any pest.They can be termed as crops.A majority of them are not affected by
storage pests either.Therefore, their need for pesticides isclose to nil. Thus, they are a great
boon to the agricultural environment.Millets are amazing in their nutrition content. Each of
the millets is three to fivetimes nutritionallysuperior to the widely promoted rice and wheat in
terms of proteins, minerals and vitamins.
HISTORY
Foxtail Millet is known to have been the first domesticated millet. Chinese legends attribute
the domestication of millet to Shennong, the legendary Emperor of China. Similarly, millets have
been mentioned in some of the oldest extant Yajurveda texts, identifying foxtail millet (priyangava),
Barnyard millet (aanava) and black finger millet (shyaamaka), indicating that millet consumption was
very common, pre-dating to 4500 BC, during the Indian Bronze Age. Specialized archaeologists
called palaeoethnobotanists, relying on data such as the relative abundance of charred grains found in
archaeological sites, hypothesize that the cultivation of millets was of greater prevalence in prehistory
than rice, especially in northern China and Korea. Millets also formed important parts of the
prehistoric diet in Indian, Chinese Neolithic and Korean Mumun societies. Broomcorn (Panicum
miliaceum) and foxtail millet were important crops beginning in the Early Neolithic of China. For
example, some of the earliest evidence of millet cultivation in China was found at Cishan (north).
Cishan dates for common millet husk phytoliths and biomolecular components have been identified
around 8300–6700 BC in storage pits along with remains of pit-houses, pottery, and stone tools
related to millet cultivation. Evidence at Cishan for foxtail millet dates back to around 6500 BC. A
4,000-year-old well-preserved bowl containing well-preserved noodles made from foxtail millet and
broomcorn millet was found at the Lajia archaeological site in China.
Palaeoethnobotanists have found evidence of the cultivation of millet in the Korean Peninsula
dating to the Middle Jeulmun pottery period (around 3500–2000 BC). Millet continued to be an
important element in the intensive, multicropping agriculture of the Mumun pottery period (about
1500–300 BC) in Korea. Millets and their wild ancestors, such as barnyard grass and panic grass,
were also cultivated in Japan during the Jōmon period some time after 4000 BC.Asian varieties of
millet made their way from China to the Black Sea region of Europe by 5000 BC. The cultivation of
common millet as the earliest dry crop in East Asia has been attributed to its resistance to drought, and
this has been suggested to have aided its spread.
Pearl Millet was domesticated in the Sahel region of West Africa, where its wild ancestors are
found. Evidence for the cultivation of Pearl Millet in Mali dates back to 2500 BC, and Pearl Millet is
found in South Asia by 2300 BC. Finger Millet is originally native to the highlands of East Africa,
and was domesticated before the third millennium BC. It's cultivation had spread to South India by
1800 BC
Background
Millets, which the Deccan Development Society believes as God’s Own Crops, are
truly wonder grains. They can grow on the most marginalized soils— without irrigation,and
with very little or sometimes no external inputs. They are veritable storehouses of health and
nutrition. Besides, millets are also the pivot around which a vibrantagrobiodiversity survives,
wherever it is allowed to survive.But unfortunately over the decades, the state policies have
progressively eroded both themillets as well as all the brilliant farming systems they have
represented. Consequently,hundreds of thousands of hectares dedicated to growing millets
have degenerated intocultivable fallows, and their size currently stands at a massive 30
million hectares. Themillet acreage over the last couple of decades has shrunk from 18
million hectares to 9 million hectares, thus depriving the poor of their nutritional food,
livelihood, security andcontrol over their farming.
On the other hand, the recent trend has seen the millets moving away from the poor
andfalling into the hands of the rich to serve their elite needs. ITC has already engaged
farmersin AP and Maharashtra in a contract farming arrangement for millet production. It is
eyeing50,000 villages in the country over the next few years for this initiative, ironically
fundedby none other than the World Bank.This move, on the one hand, might be good for
millet production. But on the other, it doessomething grave: it shifts the control from farmers
and the poor to the huge corporates,and destroys the seed diversity by replacing the local
landraces with High Yielding Varieties(HYVs) and hybrids. It will institutionalize
monocultures on lands which always had richbiodiversity and destroy the last niches of
ecological dryland farming, and usher in chemical,irrigated production of millets. Therefore
for us in the civil society, restoring millets totheir past glory and making them the food
sovereignty farming of the people of the countybecomes an urgent need.
It is against this background that the initiative, ‘MINI, Millet Network of India’
undertakenby the Deccan Development Society in October 2007 assumes a great
significance. TheDeccan Development Society has been working with millets for the last two
decades;pioneering an Alternative Public Distribution System (APDS) based on millets;
creating overa 100 millet dominant community seed banks; rejuvenating a food culture
through foodfestivals and an all millet restaurant called Café Ethnic; and continuously putting
pressureon the policy makers to realize the inevitability of falling back on millets.
The present consultation was envisaged towards building a larger network of people
steadfastlyworking with millets or thinking about them, undeterred by their historical neglect.
Thebroad idea was to put strengths together, to brainstorm and to set an agenda for
collectiveaction. It was also envisioned to look at the culture, cultivation and cuisine of
millets and findout how their profile could be built, to be able to advance the policy
framework aroundmillets.
The workshop had an interesting range of polarized, and yet converging views on the
agendaof millets as well as the strategies to promote them. It also gave the participants a first
handflavour of millets through the option of millet based drink instead of tea and coffee and a
fullbreakfast and lunch menu cooked with various millets.
IMPORTANCE OF MILLETS
The rice eater is weightless like a bird; the one who eats Jowar is strong like a wolf:one
who eats Raagi remains ‘nirogi’ [ illness free ] throughout his life - An old
Kannadasaying .
India is on the threshold of discussing the Food Security Bill which will have
farreaching implications for the poor and the marginalised, in their struggle to access food
andnutrition to lead a dignified and healthy life. Millet Network of India has for long, taken
thestand that we as a nation, should not just be settling for food security; we should be
striving forfood sovereignty. This implies that we focus on giving the control over the
production,distribution and consumption of food back to the people. One of the steps in doing
this would beto bring millets back into the food security debate; for millions of households in
the dryland andhilly regions of the country depend on these crops to meet their food needs.
We have for longbeen arguing that the introduction of millets into the public distribution
system and intogovernment food programmes like the mid-day meal scheme, is important to
achieve the aim offood sovereignty. The recent Global Hunger Index ranks India 64 out of 81
nations. Further,India ranks second in the incidences of malnutrition among children. This is
happening despitethe universal public distribution system that we have been following for
decades.
The PDS islaudable in its intention, and no one can dispute the great service that it has
been rendering inhelping the poor and the marginalized households in meeting their food and
nutrition needs.However, the focus that it has laid over these decades, on rice and wheat at
the expense of milletshas been a telling factor behind these statistics. In the four decades
since 1961, the area undermillets declined by nearly 50% from about 18 million hectares to
about 9 million hectares.
During this time, production of millets declined from about 8.8 million tons to about
7.2 milliontons; a decline of 18%. These statistics indicate that millions of households are
unable to accessaffordable nutritious food anymore.
TYPES OF MILLETS
Millets in India enjoy prime importance that is because India is one of the biggest producers
clocking 8 million tonnes every year followed by Africa and China. So let us know a bit more
about the types of millets grown in India and millet nutrition that will convince you to stock
them.
1. Sorghum (Jowar)
Sorghum or jowar is one of the most popular millets for weight lossThe very mention
of millets and you would have picturized jowar or jowar rotis in your mind. Well, it is one of
the most popular, much-researched millet for weight loss.Due to jowar roti benefits, many
grandmas prefer it over regular wheat rotis. Compared to rice and wheat, jowar has a high
proportion of calcium. It also packs in a neat iron, protein, and fibre punch. Researchers have
found that a typical sorghum wax is rich in policosanols which helps in reducing the levels of
cholesterol. Being a gluten-free grain, it is also much preferred by those who can’t tolerate
wheat-based products.
2. Foxtail millet
Foxtail millet can be cooked just like rice. Millet recipes are easy to make. Here foxtail millet
is pictured with huskFoxtail millets are available in the form of rice, semolina (like rava) or
as flour. As with other millets, foxtail millet is rich in smart carbohydrates, the kind which
doesn’t increase the blood sugar levels immediately.It is rich in dietary fibre, and minerals
like iron and copper. Due to this, it helps to reduce the levels of bad cholesterol and keeps the
immune system strong.
High in calcium, ragi or finger millet is worth including in the dietOne of the most popular
and commonly consumed millet there could be. Due to ragi’s nutrition, it can be considered
as a good replacement for rice and wheat.The most notable nutritional feature is that it is a
rich source of calcium and other minerals. It is a storehouse of protein and amino acids that
make it a good inclusion in porridges and even wheat flour. This ragi benefit can be derived
from patients with diabetes.
Bajra or pearl millet flour can be mixed with wheat atta for weight loss Pearl millet or bajra is
said to be a miracle millet with iron content 8 times higher than that present in rice. Other
facts about pearl millet nutrition are that it is also rich in protein, fibre, and minerals such as
calcium and magnesium. Consumption of pearl millet will help ease constipation issues and
any problems with the digestion as well. Because of the nutritional line-up, it can also make
for a good lactagogue. So I hope all these bajra benefits will make it a staple in your kitchen.
5. Barnyard millet
Barnyard millet belongs to our tables and not in the barn Barnyard millet, with its nutritional
profile, should belong on our tables already. It has 6 times more of fibre than wheat making it
an ideal weight loss millet. The fibre will help maintain satiety. Apart from this, millet is rich
sources of bone-building minerals calcium and phosphorus. The good antioxidant profile
makes it an ideal replacement to rice in dosa/idli/dhokla batters.
6. Kodo millet
The millet which closely resembles rice is kodo millet, use it for weight lossIf you are
looking for a millet that closely resembles rice, then it is the Kodo millet. It is easy to digest
and is rich in phytochemicals and antioxidants, all of which helps prevent the occurrence of
major lifestyle diseases. Weight loss enthusiasts, this is the millet you have to watch out for.
Cook it like rice once in a while but without the guilt accompanied by it. Kodo millet has
shown to reduce knee and joint pain, helps regularize menstruation in women among others.
7. Little Millet
Little millet but mighty in nutrition The little millet may be called little but in no means its
nutritional content is little. It is a rich source of B-vitamins, minerals like calcium, iron, zinc,
potassium among others. It also provides essential fats to the body, the kind that helps in
weight loss. Its high fibre content is yet another positive making it an ideal part of pongal or
even kheer instead of rice.
8. Proso Millet
Proso millet is cultivated in developed countries Like it’s millet cousins, proso millet is rich
in protein and low glycemic index carbs. The developed world cultivates this millet to use it
as bird feed. It is yet to be consumed as a mainstream millet.
Each millet has an importance of its own. While some millets, such as finger millet,
are full of calcium, some like jowar have potassium and phosphorus, and foxtail is fibrous
while qodo is rich in iron. Therefore, it is advisable to keep rotating the kind of millets we are
eating. We should also remember that we should not mix millets and should only eat one
grain in a meal as each grain has its own requirement as the medium for digestion and mixing
them can create imbalances in body.
By any nutritional parameter, millets aremiles ahead of rice and wheat In terms oftheir
mineral content, compared to rice andwheat. Each one of the millets has morefibre than rice
and wheat. Some as muchas fifty times that of rice. Finger millet hasthirty times more
Calcium than rice whileevery other millet has at least twice theamount of Calcium compared
to rice. Intheir Iron content, foxtail and little millet areso rich that rice is nowhere in the
race.While most of us seek a micronutrient suchas Beta Carotene in pharmaceutical pillsand
capsules, millets offer it in abundantquantities. The much privileged rice,ironically, has zero
quantity of this preciousmicronutrient.In this fashion, nutrient to nutrient, everysingle millet
is extraordinarily superior torice and wheat and therefore is the solution for the malnutrition
that affects a vast majority of theIndian population
The following table shows the nutrient content of millet compared to major staple foods in a
raw form. Raw forms, however, are not edible and cannot be fully digested. These must be prepared
and cooked as appropriate for human consumption. In processed and cooked form, the relative
nutritional and antinutritional contents of each of these grains is remarkably different from that of raw
forms reported in this table. The nutritional value in the cooked form depends on the cooking method.
Origin of From greek Goddess Ceres, whom Term is applied to several species of
word/Meaning Romans worshipped as giver of cereals which produce small grains
grain. compared to maize.
Cereals are the grasses that belong Millet is a small grained annual
to the ‘Graminaceae family’. cereal and forage grass that is widely
They generally require more grown in dry regions.
rainfall than millets
Total Number Main cereals: Barley, Maize, Oats, Main Millets are: Pearl Millet, Pros
Rice, Rye, wheat, Sorghum etc. MIllet, Foxtail MIllet, Jowar and
Ragi (aka Finger Millet)
Nutritional Value Rich in Carbohydrates (60-70%). They are easy to digest and also
Also have Proteins, Fats and contain a high percentage of minerals
Vitamins like magnesium, phosphorous and
potassium apart from other nutrion
like protein, fat and vitamins
Extra info: cereals are composed of Drought resistance, grown almost for
endosperm, germ and bran. local human consumption though in
1. Endosperm: a food storage India we are trying to grow them at
tissue present in the seed. It is the larger scale specially Jowar and Ragi.
starchy part of the grain that Also used in Poultry
remains after the refining of Short growing season and High
cereals; generally obtained by product
removal of germ and bran.
2. Germ: it is the reproductive part
of the cereal that germinates and
later grows into a plant.
3.Bran: the outer covering of a
cereal grain is known as bran. It is
used as a source of dietary fibre.
Nature’s Nutraceuticals
Millets are highly nutritious, non-glutinous and not acid forming foods. Hence they
aresoothing and easy to digest. They are considered to be the least allergenic and most
digestible grains available. Compared to Paddy rice, especially polished Paddy rice, millets
release lesserpercentage of glucose and over a longer period of time. This lowers the risk of
diabetes...Morehere. Millets are particularly high in minerals like iron, magnesium,
phosphorous and potassium.Finger millet (Ragi) is the richest in calcium content, about 10
times that of Paddy rice or wheat.Unlike Paddy rice and wheat that require many inputs in
terms of soil fertility and water, milletsgrow well in dry regions as rain-fed crops. By eating
millets, we will be encouraging farmers indry land areas to grow crops that are best suited for
those regions. This is a step towardssustainable cropping practices where by introducing
diversity in our diets, we respect thebiodiversity in nature rather than forcefully changing
cropping patterns to grow wheat and Paddyrice everywhere.
India is the largest producer of Many kinds of millets, which are often referred
ascoarse cereals. However, realizing the nutrient richness of these grains they are now
consideredas” nutria-cereals. Small millets, as a group includes several grain crops namely
finger millet(rage), kodo millet (varagu), and little (panivaragu). Though they occupy
relatively a lowerposition among feed crops in Indian agriculture, they are quite important
from the point of foodsecurity at regional and farm level. India is the largest producer of
Many kinds of millets, whichare often referred as coarse cereals. However, realizing the
nutrient richness of these grains theyare now considered as” nutria-cereals. Small millets, as a
group includes several grain cropsnamely finger millet (rage), kodo millet (varagu), and little
(panivaragu). Though they occupyrelatively a lower position among feed crops in Indian
agriculture, they are quite important fromthe point of food security at regional and farm level.
Small millets can be grown even in poor soil and climatic conditions. They have short
growingseason and can be very well fitted into multiple cropping systems both under
irrigated as well asdry farming conditions. They can provide nutritious grain and fodder in a
short span of time.Their long storability under ordinary conditions has made them "famine
reserves". This aspect isvery important as Indian agriculture suffers from vagaries of the
monsoon. Minor millets orsmall millets as opposed to major millets (Maize, Jowar & Bajra)
may be defined as milletscultivated for their small grains which are borne on short, slender
grassy plants. In other wordsthey refer to a group of small seeded cereal crops. The most
important minor millets cultivated inIndia are: finger millet (ragi), proso millet, barnyard
millet, italian millet, kodo millet, littlemillet, job's tears and, teff. of the total area of 23
million ha under millets ,small millets alone account for about 3.5million ha; their cultivation
extending from sea level in coastal Andhra Pradesh upto an altitudeof 8000 feet above sea
level in hills of Uttarranchel and North-Eastern states. Small millets havea capacity for wide
adaptation. They can withstand a certain degree of soil acidity and alkalinity,stress due to
moisture and temperature and variation in soils from heavy to sandy infertile. Theyare grown
from the extreme southern tip of India at sea level to the temperate north Himalayanareas up
to an altitude of 3000 metres with consequent variation in photoperiod from short tolong
days. That is why , it is important enhance production and productivity of these crops
toensure food and nutritional security. An attempt was made in this research paper for
examinethe actual cultivating areas and the importance of millet crops are analyzed from the
data of ministry of agriculture, government of India and some other reliable sources.
The millets are considered to have been cultivated in India from pre-historic times.
Their importance as an article of human food can be realized from the fact that about 30
million acres in India fall under millets.
Millets are generally grown as mixed crops in regions of low rainfall, the other crop
grown with them being usually one of the legumes. Most of the millets grown in our country
are of short duration, taking, three to four months from sowing to harvesting. Some of India
are sorghum pearl millet and finger millet.
Tying of plants
Thin stems, heavy panicles , and profuse tillering may result in lodging of the
plants.The seeds in the panicles of lodged plants germinate in the moist field and thus affect
grain yield and quality. Hence, the plants are tied together to prevent lodging of plants.
Most standability concerns develop when growers leave pearl millet in the field until
grain moisture is below 14%. Harvesting at 20% moisture or less prevents a significant
amount of standability problems. The best stage to harvest pearl millet is when the plants
reach the physiological maturity. Physiological maturity can be determined by the black
(dark) spot at the bottom of the grain.When the crop matures the leaves turn yellow and
present a dried up appearance. The grains are hard and firm.The usual practice of harvesting
pearl millet is cutting the ear-heads first and the stalks later.The stalks (straw) are cut after a
week, allowed to dry and then stacked.
The storage structures in rural areas are not ideal from scientific-storage point of view, as
substantial losses occur during storage of grain from insect pests, moulds, rodents, etc.
Keeping the requirements of the farmers in view, the Indian Grain Storage Institute
(IGSI), Hapur, Uttar Pradesh, with its branches at Ludhiana and Hyderabad, India have
developed several metal bins of different capacities for scientific storage of grain in rural
areas.
Ragi Cultivation
Soil
• Ragi is cultivated on a variety of soils ranging from rich loam to poor shallow upland soils.
• It prefers porous and well drained loam to light red loam and sandy loam soils of good
fertility but reasonable water holding capacity.
• It can tolerate some water logging. Black soils with sufficient drainage capacity also support
to cultivate Ragi crop.
• In southern India, it predominates on marginal soil conditions, provided by lateritic and red
sandy loams.
• It withstands and thrives well on slightly alkaline soils too. It seems to have ability to utilize
rock phosphate than other cereals do.
• The soil should be rich in organic matter. Deep vertisols and rocky soils are not suitable for
this crop owing to poor drainage and low fertility.
• It can be grown in soils with pH of 4.5-7.5.
• Tank silt is applied to the soil just before the rain begins and soon after the land is ploughed
thrice to incorporate weeds in the soil.
• Heavy clay soils with poor drainage is less suitable
Land Preparation
The land is prepared separately for irrigated and rainfed conditions. In areas with a
rainfall of 60 to 75 cm, ragi is cultivated as a rainfed crop. So the field should be deeply
ploughed for moisture conservation. But in irrigated crop, plough the field immediately at the
arrival of monsoon until gets fine tilth.
Irrigated Rainfed
• Plough the field twice with iron mould board • Fall ploughing is advantageous for moisture
plough or thrice with wooden plough, conservation.
immediately after the harvest of the previous crop • In the month of April or May, one deep
or at the arrival of pre-monsoon rain ploughing with mould board plough
• Levelling and clod breaking is achieved by using followed by ploughing with wooden plough
a plank harrow or sometimes with wooden mallets twice is necessary.
• Later a tined harrow smoothens the soil surface • Before sowing secondary tillage with
• Plough the field until gets fine tilth with disc cultivar and multiple tooth hoe to prepare
harrow smooth seed bed is necessary.
Irrigated
Irrigated Rainfed
• For Tamil Nadu: Apply NPK 30:30:30 Kg/ha at • For Tamil Nadu: Apply NPK 20:20:20 Kg/ha
the time of sowing at the time of sowing
• For Karnataka: Apply NPK 50:50:50 Kg/ha at • For Karnataka: Apply NP 30:37 Kg/ha at the
the time of sowing time of sowing
• Apply 10 packets /ha (2kg) of Azospirillum • Apply 10 packets /ha (2kg) of Azospirillum
inoculant after mixing with 25 kg of soil and 25 inoculant after mixing with 25 kg of soil and 25
kg of farmyard manure before transplanting. kg of farmyard manure before transplanting.
• Another method: Application of 2 tonnes of • Another method: Application of 2 tonnes of
enriched farmyard manure per hectare with enriched farmyard manure per hectare with
100% P and K fertilizer gave higher yield of 100% P and K fertilizer gave higher yield of
Ragi in Coimbatore. Ragi in Coimbatore.
• Mix 12.5 kg/ha of micronutrient mixture formulated by the Agriculture Department with
enough sand to make a total quality of 50 kg/ha.
• Apply the mixture evenly on the beds.
• Do not incorporate the mixture in the soil.
A plant population of 4 to 5 lakhs per ha is optimum for getting higher yields and
higher or lower population than the optimum will reduce the yield. There are various methods
practiced for ragi cultivation.
• In rainfed ragi, ragi is grown as intercrop or mixed crop with non cereal crops.
• In irrigated ragi, ragi is grown as sole crop.
Direct Sowing Direct sowing is the practice of sowing seeds directly in the main field,
eliminating the process of seedling raising and transplanting. The seeds are sown in the
prepared land before or with the onset of monsoon. The following three methods used for
sowing ragi seeds.
i. Broadcasting
Transplanting
• Irrigate the beds during transplanting and level the bed if it is not levelled
• 3 to 4 weeks seedlings should be transplanted in the field
• Transplant 2 to 3 seedlings per hill in normal planting and 4 to 6 seedlings in delayed
planting.
• For early kharif and Rabi season, plant 21 – 25 days old seedlings at a spacing of 25 cm x 10
cm
• For Late Kharif season, plant 25-28 days old seedlings at a spacing of 30 x 10 cm
• Plant the seedlings at a depth of 2 to 3 cm. Deeper planting delays tillering and root
regeneration, increases duration and flowering at different times
• Transplant in lines at proper spacing to maintain the correct level of panicles per metre. This
also eases subsequent operations. Random planting leads to uneven growth of tillers and
reduce panicles per metre.
• Prepare slurry with 5 packets (1000g) per hectare of Azospirillum inoculant in 40 litres of
water and dip the root portion of the seedlings in the solution for 15 to 30 minutes and
transplant.
• Dip the leafy portion of the seedlings in 0.1% carbendazim solution before planting to arrest
the transfer of blast to main field.
• The beds should be irrigated on the third day after transplantation
• Replace the dead hills with new seedlings from the same nursery within one week
Cropping System
The cropping system is an important component of any farming system. It is the
proportion of area under various crops at a point of time. It is designed to mimic nature and
bring diversity into the farming system. Commonly practiced cropping systems are:
Pearl millet
1. Pearl Millet • Botanical Name : Pennisetum glaucum • Family : Gramineae • Origin : Western
Africa • Distribution : Pearl millet is cultivated mostly in Africa (about 14 million ha) and
Asia (about 12 million ha).
2. Pearl millet Area in India • India is the largest producer of pearl millet. • Area (9–10 million
ha) • Production (8-9 million t) • Average productivity of 780 kg/ha. • It is grown as irrigated
crop during the summer season in GJ, MH, AP, KN and TN. • Summer pearl millet is popular
in Gujarat with very high yield exceeding 4–5 t/ha with excellent grain quality.
3. As compared to the early 1980s, Pearl millet area in India declined by 26% during 2000–04,
but production increased by 19% owing to 44% increase in productivity.
4. Soil and Climate • It yields best on fertile, well-drained loamy soils. • Pearl millet not grow
well in waterlogged conditions. • It is grown on soils of poor fertility with low organic matter
content, but it yields low. • Pearl millet can grow even under unfavorable conditions of
drought stress and high temperatures. • Pearl millet is a warm-weather crop and grows best at
30–34°C air temperature. • Germination = 23 to 32°C. • The optimum rainfall requirement
600 and 800 mm. • But, pearl millet can be grown in areas which receive even less than 350
mm of seasonal rainfall.
5. Management Practices Field Preparation : • Timely sowing, which ensures higher yield. •
Provide favorable conditions for sowing, allowing germination, emergence and good plant
development. • Maintenance of fertility and productivity. • Summer plowing. • Good seedbed
preparation and is essential for the successful establishment of the crop.
6. Nutrient Management • The low yields in pearl millet due to the crop being grown under poor
soils, low nutrient content, erratic rainfall conditions etc. • Grain yield of pearl millet and
nutrient requirement Grain yield (qt ha-1) Nutrient required (kg ha-1) N P K 10 qt 27 10 33
20 qt 53 19 65 25 qt 67 24 82 30 qt 80 28 98
7. Nitrogen nutrition : • Nitrogen plays an important role for good growth. • Nitrogen
availability to plants is reflected in dark green color of stems and leaves, and vigorous growth
and development of pearl millet. • Application of nitrogen is essential for acceptable yields.
About 60–80 kg/ha is the optimum dose.
8. Phosphorus nutrition : • To provide energy for the growth and development of pearl millet
plants. • Without phosphorus plants cannot grow even when nitrogen supply is plenty. • It
takes phosphorus from seedling stage to grain- filling stage. • SSP is good source of
phosphorus requirement for Pearlmillet.
9. Potassium nutrition : • Provides resistance to insect pests, diseases and water stress. •
Improves the quality of the crop produce. • If a soil contains less than 150 kg ha-1 of available
potassium, recommended dose of potassium application results higher yield in pearl millets.
10. Micronutrients : • Pearl millet response well to micro nutrients. • The results indicates grain
yield increases with application micronutrient. • Irrigated pearl millet responds well to Zinc
up to 25 kg Zn So₄ /ha. • Shekhawat et al reported that application of micronutrient increased
grain yield of pearl millet over NPK. • The percentage of increase in grain yield due to
application of micronutrients over NPK alone are , • Mn - 5.47 % • Zn – 16.48 % • B – 4.55
% • Mo – 7.70 % • Fe – 19.35 %
11. Other nutrients • Secondary nutrients and Micronutrients plays an important role to increase
the pearl millet production. • Application of organic manures like well-decomposed FYM and
Compost, Green Manuring and Green-Leaf Manuring practices provide nutrients. • These
nutrients are equally essential for pearl millet plants for proper growth , development and
disease resistance. • Experimental evidence indicate the applying 10-15 t /ha of bulky organic
manure improving yield of pearl millet as well as improving soil productivity.
12. Cropping Systems • Commonly practiced cropping systems are: • Crop rotation practices : • It
maintains soil fertility. • Check soil erosion. • Reduce the buildup of pest. • Mitigate risk of
weather changes. • Increase net profits.
13. Intercropping Practices : • Intercropping refers to growing more than one crop in the same
land area in rows of definite proportion and pattern. • Produce higher yields per unit area
through better use of natural resources. • Offer greater stability in production under adverse
weather conditions , disease and insect infestation. • Meet the domestic needs of the farmer.
14. Mixed Cropping Practices : • Mixed cropping refers to simultaneously growing more than one
crop in the same land without any definite pattern. • Mixed cropping of pearl millet-pigeon
pea or cluster bean is most common.
15. Seeds and Sowing • Seeds and Seed Preparation : • To prevent seed borne diseases as well as
pests. • Seed hardening practice for better germination. • Soaking seeds in 1% calcium
chloride or in plain water for 6 hours before sowing results in increased yield under drought
conditions. • Soak seeds in 10% salt solution reduce the incidence of Ergot disease.
16. Pearl millet cultivars : • Pearl millet hybrids offer several advantages over OPVs besides 25–
30% higher grain yields. • high-yielding, popular hybrids and varieties are , • HHB 67
Improved • GHB 538 • GHB 558 • ICMH 356 • GK 1004 AP HYBRID VARIETIES • PAC
903 • AIMP 92901, ASP-1, ICTP 8203, Ananth
17. System of Sowing • Flat Bed • Ridge & Furrow • Broad-Bed & Furrow
18. Seed rate : • In general 6-8 kg/ha and in black soil 3 Kg/ha under high water retentive
capacity • Spacing: 30x10 cm or 60 X 10 cm • Sowing time : • Kharif : June-July • Rabi :
September-October • Summer : January-February (as an irrigated crop in TN ,KN,PB,GJ, AP)
19. Transplanting of Pearl Millet • Pearl millet is also transplanted in some parts of Tamil Nadu,
Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Gujarat. • This practice is common under irrigated conditions.
• A nursery of 300 m² is sufficient to supply seedlings to plant one ha main field. • It saves 3-
4 weeks if crop is responsive to transplanting. • Transplanted pearl millet gives much yield as
that of direct seeded crop. • Healthy seedlings (15 to 20 days old) are transplanted in the
water-soaked fields.
20. Under south Indian conditions, summer irrigated pearl millet is usually grown by
transplantation. • Sow the seedlings on ridges and furrows with a spacing of 45 x 20 cm . • A
plant population of 1,75,000 /ha is optimum for hybrids. • Earthing up is done around 40
DAP. • The grain yield around 4 t/ha under good management practices.
21. Weed management • Yield losses of more than 70% due to weeds have been reported from
weed control experiments. • It is necessary to keep the crop weed-free during the first 30 days
after sowing. • Cultural practices : • Adopting proper crop rotation practices reducing the
weed competition in pearl millet crop. • Intercropping also helps in smothering the weeds
with good crop cover over the land surface. • Mulching the soil surface helps to to suppress
the weeds and also helps in conserving the soil moisture.
22. Chemical control : • Pre-emergence application : • It applied after sowing but before
emergence of seedling. - Atrazine (0.5-1.0) - Pendimethalin (1.0-1.5) - Tebutryn (1.0-2.0) for
light soils - Norea (1.0-2.0) for heavy soils • Post-emergence application : • In case of severe
infestation. • Low rates of 2,4-D (0.5-1.0 kg/ha) may be applied when the plants are about 10
to 30 cm tall.
23. Water Management • Pearl millet is mainly rainfed crop. • Only about 8% of pearl millet area
is irrigated in India. Moisture conservation : • Soil and water conservation practices
significance to increase pearl millet production. • Antitranspirants and reflectants may
minimize the water loss due to transpiration. • Deep ploughing increases rain water into soil. •
Mulches are effective in reducing evaporation losses
24. Scheduling Irrigation : • Summer irrigated Pearl millet require six irrigation for high yields at
given stages, • Transplanting • 1 week after transplanting • 3 week after transplanting •
Panicle initiation • Flowering • Grain development
• Chattisgarh - RBK 155 and JK 43 9, Indira Kodo - 1, Indira Kodo - 48, GPUK 3
• Karnataka - GPUK 3, RBK 155
• VL-124, VL-149, mostly developed for the hill states of the country.
Spacing
20-25cm row-to-row, 8-10cm plant-to-plant
Seed Rate
10 kg per for line sowing; 15 kg per ha for broadcasting.
Seed Treatment
The seed should be treated with Agrosan G.N. or Thiram @ 2.5g/Kg of seed.
Treating seeds with Azospirullum brasilense (nitrogen fixing bacterium) and Aspergillus
awamouri (phosphate solubalizing fungus) @ 25 g kg -1 is beneficial.
Method of sowing
Line sowing at 3-4cm deep.
Transplanted crop
Seed should be sown in well prepared nursery beds during the month of May-July
about 4 Kg of seed will give enough seedlings to transplant 1 ha of land. 3 to 4 week old
seedlings should be transplanted two seedlings per hill at a distance of 25X8 cm or
transplanted 2-3cm deep.
Manures and Fertilizers
FYM-5 to 10 tonnes/ha. FYM should be applied one month before sowing.
Tamil nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh : 40 kg N and 20 kg P / ha
Other states : 20 kg each NPK / ha
NE states : 60:30:30 NPK / ha
Cropping System
In hilly areas it is grown mixed with Soybean.
Madhya Pradesh: Kodo millet + Pigeon pea (2:1 ratio); Kodo millet + Green gram/black
gram (2:1 ratio); Kodo millet + Soybean (2:1 ratio).
Weed Control
The inter-cultivation and weeding should be done with hand hoe, three hoeing would be
sufficient to control the weeds in problem areas.
Disease Management
Head smut caused by Sorosporium paspali-thunbergi is a major disease. The pathogen being
seed borne can be checked by seed treatment with Chlorothalonil or Mancozeb @ 2g/kg. The
variety GPUK 3 is tolerant to head smut
Blast : Infection of this disease may occur in the seedling stage with gray green to yellow
lesions on leaf blades. To control this disease, the seed should be treated before sowing with
Agrosan GN or Cerasan @ 2.5 g/Kg of seed. Resistant variety should be cultivated.
Seedling blight : Serious disease and cause heavy damage. 0.02 % solution of Dithane U-45
should be sprayed.
Insect Pest
Stem Borer/ Hairy Caterpillar/Grass hopper/Caterpiller.
Control :
Diazinen (5%) or Thiaden(4%) granules @ 20Kg/ha, to control Borer Hairy caterpillar &
Grass hopper spray Carbaryl dust @ 20Kg/ha may be used.
Sorghum:
Sorghum vullgare Pers.; Eng.: Sorghum; Hindi: Jowar, Family: Gramineac: (Poaceae)
India is one of the leading countries in the world the production of sorghum. The area under
this millet is 42.6 million acres, and the production of the grain is estimated Lit about 7.4
million tonnes. It is chiefly cultivated in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh,
Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan.
In India Jowar is mainly a crop of plains, and is grown as both kharif and rabi. The kharif
crop sown between May and July and harvested between October and December. The rabi
crop sown between September and November, is harvested between January and March.
The plants are tall coarse annuals, growing to a height of from 90 cm to 4.5 in, nil-florescence
is a dense hence head or panicle. The grains are small, round and pinkish-white in colour.
They can easily be grown in less irrigated and arid regions.
Uses:The grains eaten by breaking, it and cooking, it in the same way as rice or by grinding
in into flour and preparing unleavened bread from it. The stern and leaves are used as cattle
fodder especially in north India.
Pearl Millet:
Pennisetum typhoids (Burm) Stapf and hubbard; Eng,.: Pearl millet; Hindi: Bajra Family
Gramineae (Poaceae)
This is the second important millet of India. The area under the crop is 29.2 million
acres, and the annual production of grain is about three million tonnes. It is chiefly cultivated
in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Gujarat.
It is suited to regions of low rainfall, and can be grown even in tracts which receive only 51
to 60 cm of rainfall. It is seldom grown in areas where the rainfall is heavier than about 10.5
cm annually. Outside Asia, the grain is largely cultivated in Africa, where it is a common
article of food among both the Arabs and the natives.
In India the crop is grown mainly in kharif. Sowing takes place between May and
September, and harvesting between September and February. The plants are tall, annuals,
growing to a height of from 1.8 to 4.5 in. The inflorescence is a dense spikelike head or
panicle 1.8 cm to 4.5 in long and 2.5 cm or so in diameter. In India it is growth as a rainy
crop.
Uses: It is furnished and important food for the poor people and labour class, and is
particularly valuable in cold weather because of its heating qualities. The flour made from the
grain is very nutrition’s and is used for making bread. The crop has an enormous yield of
forage.This is the third important millet of India. The area under the crop is 5.9 million acres
and the annual production of grain is about 1.9 million tonnes. About 75% of the area under
the crop lies in south India. It is also grown to a limited extent, in the hilly tracts of northern
India. It is cultivated as a food crop in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Orissa,
Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.It is one of the hardiest crops suited for dry farming. It
can grow under conditions of very low rainfall, land can withstand very severe drought. It can
be grown as dry crop as well as under irrigation. Unlike other crops, both the plants and grain
remain free from pests and diseases. Ragi grain can be stored for many years even up 50
years without damage, it kept away from moisture.
In India, Ragi is sown in the kharif. Sowing takes place between May and August, and
harvesting between September and January. In Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, sowing and
harvesting continue almost throughout the year.
Oat:Avena sativa Linn; Eng.: Oat; Hindi: Javi; Family Gramineae (Poaceae).
An annual grass. They vary in height from 60 cm to 1.5 m. The inflorescence is one-
discs or spreading panicle which may be either erect or drooping. Avena sativa L is
commonly cultivated in the temperate climate of northern Europe. This is grown to a limited
in North-West Himalayas. The Indian oat belongs to the species Avena sterillis var. culta. A
hybrid has raised between Indian oat and A. savita.
Uses: Oats are consumed as human food and fodder for cattle. They have a high fat, protein
and mineral content. It is used chiefly in making cakes, biscuits and breakfast food. Oat meal
is prepared by grinding the grains rather coarsely between the stones.
It is of more recent origin than the other cereals. It is thought of be native of the Black
land Caspian Seas region of Central Eurasia. It is related to both barley and wheat and
resembles the barley in habit. Its grains look like that of wheat. The tillers are slender
reaching a height up to 1.8 m. The leaves are somewhat bluish. A large number of spikelet’s
are found in head. The spikelet’s are produced singly at the joints of axis and each one
contains two fertile flowers.
Uses : In European countries it is used chiefly for bread, as grains contain gluten. The bread
of rye is also known as black bread cacaos of its dark colour. The straw of rye is used for
making paper and hats. The grain is also used for stock.
Pseudo-Cereals:In various parts of the world the seeds of the other plants are used like
cereals and millets as source of human food. Such plants are not grasses. In India buckwheat
is grown on the large scale in the Himalayas tracts.
It is native of Central Asia, but now extensively cultivated in the hills of Northern
India, It is normally a plant of cool, moist, temperate regions and thrives best in a sandy well-
drained soil. The plant is small branching annual. The inflorescence is a receme bearing small
white or pinkest flowers. These are hulled and ground and the starchy flour is used for
porridge, soups and puris. In India, the flour is commonly used by Hindus on festive
occasions to break their fast. Seeds are also fed to livestock land poultry.
This is a prickly aquatic herb, found commonly in Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar,
Assam, Manipur, Tripura, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. The seeds are roasted and eaten.
They are added in sweetmeats and confectionery. It makes a light food with milk.
Millets are all-season crops whereas wheat is season specific. In spite of all these
extraordinary qualities and capacities of millet farming systems, the area under millet
production has been shrinking over the last five decades and rapidly, since the Green
Revolution period. Between 1966 and 2006, 44% of millet cultivation areas were occupied by
other crops signifying an extraordinary loss to India’s food and farming systems. Declining
state support in terms of crop loans and crop insurance has significantly contributed to this
decline and fall of millets in Indian agriculture. Unless this is halted urgently through a slew
of policy and financial in centives, millets might disappear from the agrarian landscape of
India over the next fifty years. This will not only be a loss to India’s food and farming
systems, but will also prove to be a civilisational and ecological disaster. climate change
compliant crops cultivated round the year.
While wheat and rice might provide only food security, millets produce multiple
securities (food, fodder, health, nutrition, livelihood and ecological) making them the crops of
agricultural security. Therefore, there is an urgent need for Indian policy makers to refocus
their attention towards millet farming systems and enact policies that create an enabling
environment for milletfarmers.
Choose a millet variety. Millet seeds or "sprays" containing seeds are often sold as bird food, but
these come in many varieties and may not be reliably labeled. While bird owners have reported
success planting these seeds, or even growing them accidentally by dropping them in the garden,
seeds or young plants purchased from a plant nursery will most likely be labeled with an exact
species. This gives you a better idea of what to expect, and may help you find more specific answers
to problems you encounter while growing.
o "Ornamental millet" varieties such as Purple Majesty or Foxtail Millet Highlander are
recommended for small garden plots due to their attractive appearance. They still
produce edible seeds that will attract birds and other wildlife.
o Some millet varieties, such as Golden Millet, grow to 18–24 inches (46–61 cm) in
height, while other common varieties require more space and reach 5 feet (1.5 m) or
more in height. Your millet plant may not reach its maximum height in cool climates.
o If you plan on eating the millet or feeding it to birds, use organic millet seeds and do
not treat the plant with pesticides.
Plant seeds indoors in early spring, or outdoors in late spring. For best results, especially with
ornamental millet, start the seeds indoors approximately 6–8 weeks before the last frost of the year.
o Alternatively, you can start the seeds directly outdoors as long as the frost is over and
soil temperatures are above 50 °F (10 °C), but be aware that this may not give the
plant time to mature and produce seeds by the end of the growing season.
Prepare the soil. You can purchase seed starting soil, or mix ordinary potting soil with an equal
amount of compost. Using soil from your garden may not be as effective, but you can attempt to grow
millet in any soil that drains quickly. Mix perlite or sand into the soil if the soil clumps together or
tends to stay soggy after watering.
Place seeds below a thin layer of soil. Seeds should not be buried deep, but instead placed no more
than 1⁄4 inch (0.64 cm) below the surface. Ideally, plant the seeds 2–3 inches (5.1–7.6 cm) apart. If you
don't have enough space, you may plant them closer together and thin out the smallest seedlings once
the seeds have sprouted.
Keep the seeds in a warm space with indirect light. The seedlings should sprout within a few days.
Many millet varieties are adapted to warm climates, and grow best if exposed to bright, indirect
sunlight for most of the day and temperatures around 78 °F (26 °C) If the millet you purchased came
with other instructions, follow them instead.
Know when to water the seeds. Water the seeds immediately after planting to help them sprout and
grow. Subsequently, water whenever the soil is dry or nearly dry, but not if it still feels damp. Make
sure the water drains well. Millet will not grow well if the seeds are soaking in water.
Transplant the seedlings to areas of full sun once the weather warms. After the last frost has
passed and the soil temperatures are above 50 °F (10 °C), dig the seedlings out individually, taking
care to keep their roots intact. Transplant them into outdoor pots or directly into the garden, using the
same soil they were in before. Try to plant the seedlings to the same depth they were before. Keep the
millet in full sun unless it shows signs of withering or burning.
o Avoid burying the stem that was previously above the soil level.
o The recommended size of the pot or spacing of the plants varies greatly with the type
of millet.
o If the weather is hot or the seedlings are still small, consider keeping them in an
outdoor area with partial shade and wind protection for one or two weeks before
moving them to an area of full sun. This allows them to gradually adjust to outdoor
conditions.
Adjust the care strategy as needed. Because there are thousands of millet species and
varieties, it is impractical to give specific instructions for each. Generally speaking, millet
plants enjoy good-draining soil and do best if the soil is not allowed to dry out completely.
Millet is unlikely to survive freezing temperatures either as seeds or adult plants, and most
types thrive in warm weather
o If your millet appears unhealthy or some of the plants die, have a botanist or garden
nursery employee identify your species of millet and suggest specific care.
o If your millet rots or looks slimy at the base or roots, reduce watering.
o If your millet dries out or falls over, it may be a short-root variety. Add compost to
the soil to help trap moisture and provide a sturdier support for the plants.
Harvest seeds just before they ripen. If you wish to collect seeds to feed to house pets, or to plant
again next year, you'll need to get to them before birds and other wildlife. The time it takes for millet
to mature varies greatly with variety and climate, so once the plants flower, keep an eye out for seed
pods. These pods grow among the fluffy ends of the plant, and eventually open up to release seeds.
o Periodically break open a pod to see if the seeds inside are brown or black. If they
are, the pods are ready for collecting. Gather them individually, or simply cut off the
whole stalk.
o Note that millet is an annual crop, meaning the plant will die after producing seeds.
Learn how to use the seeds. Seed pods can be left in a paper bag to dry for 1 or 2 weeks. Shake the
bag to separate seeds from the other material (chaff), then store them in a dark, dry place to plant next
year. Alternatively, feed fresh or dry seeds to pet birds in small quantities as treats. If you have
enough millet seeds, you can boil them into a porridge.
Growing traditional local landraces and under ecological conditions, most millets
such as foxtail aretotally pest free. And hence do not need any pesticides. Even in storage
conditions, most millets suchas foxtail not only not need any fumigants, but act as anti pest
agents to store delicate pulses such asgreen gram.
our wounds and illnesses, but have the ability to heal ourplanet. This is what makes them
great food crops.
production of seeds atvarious stages, its processing and distribution. The improved seed
either should be supplied freeor subsidized by the Government. The role of non-monetary
inputs such as line sowing, optimumrow spacing, depth of seeding, optimum plant population
per unit area, timely cultural practicesfor higher productivity should be explained and
demonstrated to the farmers right in the field.
Agronomic research should bring out efficient low-cost technology which is within
the means of farmers and easy to adopt. Increased use of small millets in various ready-to-eat
food productsshould be encouraged as it enhances their value and market price. Provide
millets highest priorityin the National Food Security Bill: Government of India should
allocate at least 40% of its foodsecurity budget to millet based farming and food systems that
will use millets as their major foodcomponent. Put millets into public food systems of India:
Millets need to be integrated into theexisting Public Distribution System (PDS) . Also
introduce millet meals twice a week in theICDS, school mid day meals, welfare hostels and
such other schemes of the government.
Recognise millets as Climate Change Compliant Crops and promote their cultivation
andconsumption: Climate change will result in higher heat, drought, lower rainfall and water
crisisas well as high malnutrition. For the ecological role they have played dryland farmers
need to berecognised and granted monetary bonuses for biodiversity, water conservation and
sustainingsolutions against climate change. Investment on millet lands which apart from
creatingpermanent investment for the poor can also create at half the cost of NREGA, double
theemployment days. Convert cultivable fallows into millet farms If the government
worksdeterminedly and helps the farmers to cultivate these lands and farm millets, the
country will beable to produce a minimum of 25 million tonnes of millets,5 million tonnes of
pulses and fodderthat can feed an astounding 50 million heads of cattle. This is a huge
opportunity. Start a massiveeducational and promotional programme on millets and the
government must use its mediacampaign funds to take up millet promotion.
Advantages of Millets
All millets are cooked as rice after dehulling. In addition, Italian millet isconsumed as
stiff porridge called sargatic or as an leavened bread known as roti, after thedehulled grain
has been milled into flour. Proso millet flour is also used as a substitute for riceflour in
various snack foods. Millet protein lacks gluten, hence it is unsuitable as the solematerial for
preparation of bakery products. Mudde from millet flour is prepared by steaming thedough
and making it into balls. Millet flours are soaked overnight in cold water containing alittle
butter milk and the slurry after fermentation is used to prepare porridge. Millets and
blackgram mixed in the ratio of 3:1 are wet ground and fermented overnight which can be
steamed tomake idli or baked on hot pan to prepare dosa or wet pan cakes. Non conventional
foods likeflakes, extruded products or by par boiling of millets, popping and malting,
products can beprepared from millets. Flakes are prepared by soaking pearled millets in water
and then steamedunder pressure for complete gelatination of the starch and dried to about
18% moisture. Thenthey are pressed to requisite thickness between heavy duty rollers and
dried to prepare flakes which hydrate quickly when added to warm water or milk. Noodle like
products can be preparedfrom millet flours. They form nutritionally balanced food which is
used as supplementary orweaning foods.
Before you think that millets are just an alternative to regular cereal grains, we let you
in on the health benefits of millets. Similarly, millets for weight loss shouldn’t be the only
thing you should be searching for!
As you must have seen, millets are all a rich source of magnesium, a mineral which is
extremely important for starch digestion. Magnesium makes many carbohydrate-digesting
enzymes, even the ones which manage insulin’s action. Researchers find that magnesium-rich
whole grain consumption can help lower the risk of type-2 diabetes. In addition to this, low-
fat dairy was also shown to reduce the risk of type-2 diabetes owing to the presence of
calcium. So have a good morning with a bowl of millets cooked in milk for health. This is
impressive millet nutrition.
Millets are gluten free grains and also rich in antioxidants We aren’t pitting one food
group against the other but this is what research has to say. Scientists from Cornell University
have found that millets are not any lesser than fruits or vegetables in their antioxidant
activity. According to their research, most of the studies have explored the ‘free’ forms of
antioxidants seen amply in fruits and vegetables. But the difference is that these antioxidants
in millets are in the bound form which needs to be released on fermentation by bacteria. Thus
the health benefits of millets are at par with fruits and vegetables.
One of the phytonutrients amply present in millets is lignans. Lignans are known to be
prebiotic fibre which is fermented in our gut by bacteria. Upon fermentation, they yield
enterolactone, a product which is known to protect against heart disease and also some forms
of breast cancers.
Have good digestive health with millets. Millets also help in weight lossStudies have
shown that consuming foods high in insoluble fibre has the ability to prevent the occurrence
of gallstones. The Nurses Health Study found that people eating both soluble and insoluble
fibre reported 13% lower risk of gallstones. However, those who ate more of insoluble fibre
reported a greater risk reduction in the occurrence of gallstones that is around 17%. So you
can eat the millet grain to prevent gallstones in the future.
Studies have found that a combination of whole grains like millets and fish helps reduce the
incidence of wheezing in children. The positive is that millets are gluten-free grains too so it can be
well tolerated by many
6. Rich in Nutrients:
Millet contains several health friendly nutrients that are required for proper
functioning of the body. Iron and copper content in millet is needed for the production of
blood cells and to improve blood oxygenation. It also contains phosphorus which is
conducive to control blood pressure. These minerals, along with the phyto-nutrients can help
build a formidable defense against all types of diseases and cancers.
Millet is rich in iron content, which makes it a perfect food for curing anaemia. It also
contains natural calcium deposit which strengthens the bones if consumed on a regular basis.
Consumption of Ragi helps prevent arthritis and to recover from fractures.
Consumption of millet in large amounts helps decrease triglyceride levels in the body.
It thins the blood to prevent blood platelet clumping, thereby reducing the risk of sunstroke
and coronary artery disorder.
8. Rich in Vitamin B:
Vitamin B in millet helps to break down carbohydrates and fat more efficiently. It
reduces homocysteine level in the blood to prevent cholesterol from bonding and forming
deposits. Niacin prevents cholesterol from getting into the blood stream and raises high
density lipoprotein (HDL) in the blood. This protects the blood vessels from atherosclerosis
and hemorrhage.
Millet is one of those food grains which are loved by vegans and vegetarians because
of the high amount of protein in it. It helps to meet the daily protein requirement from a
complex carbohydrate than animal sources. It doesn’t contain extra saturated fats and other
unhealthy ingredients that the animal sources contain. The protein structure of millet is quite
like wheat; the only exception is that millet is a non-gluten grain while whole wheat contains
a high amount of gluten, making it hard to digest.
Millets contain tryptophan, an amino acid which lowers appetite and helps in
managing weight. It digests at a slower rate and keeps stomach full for a longer period of
time. Millets are high in fiber and satiate hunger quickly, preventing from overeating. People
who want to lose weight should incorporate millets in at least one of their main meals.
Millet contains both fiber and phytonutrients, the combination of which is believed to
reduce the risk of developing colon cancer. Lignan, a phytonutrient in millet, is converted
into mammalian lignan in our intestine that protects us from breast cancer. In fact,
consumption of millet can lower the risk of developing breast cancer by 50%.
Magnesium in millet relaxes the muscles that line the inside of the arterial wall, which
helps to reduce blood pressure. It also reduces the severity of asthma and frequency of
migraines.
Celiac is a disease which damages the small intestine and interferes with the
absorption of nutrients from food. People who suffer from this disease cannot tolerate gluten.
This makes millet a perfect food for them since it is completely gluten-free.
The low glycemic index in millet slows down the digestion process and keeps the
blood sugar level at a constant ratio. Millets increase insulin sensitivity for people suffering
with diabetes and also helps to control the sugar levels for non-diabetics especially type 2
diabetes. Thus, regular consumption of Ragi can decrease fasting glucose by 32 percent and
can eliminate insulin resistance by 43 percent. Hence, Ragi is very beneficial for diabetic
patients.
Millets are rich in fiber, which help in easy digestion. It is considered as one of the
most digestible and non-allergenic grains. The laxative properties of millets make it an
excellent remedy for constipation. Lecithin and Methionine help to flush out harmful fats
from the liver. Consuming foods high in fiber also prevent the formation of gallstones,
especially in women. Insoluble fiber speeds up intestinal transit time and reduces the
secretion of bile acids that contribute to the gallstone formation. Several researchers have
found that people who consume high amounts of soluble and insoluble fiber have 13% lower
risk of developing gallstones when compared to those who don’t.
The high amount of antioxidants present in millets fights free radicals present in the
body which slows down the ageing process.
Millets are high protein grain and contain lysine, an amino acid which slows down
muscle degradation and helps to build leaner muscles.
Tryptophan in millet raises the serotonin level in the body which helps with stress
reduction. A cup of millet porridge every night can help you to get sound and peaceful sleep.
Pregnant and lactating women are advised to consume Ragi in high amounts to
increase the production of breast milk in the body. This will enable the mother to feed the
child for a longer period of time. Thus, ragi millet health benefits are quite amazing.
Because of its high level of magnesium, millet is a great food for women who suffer
from unbearable pain and cramps during their menstrual cycle.
Phosphorus content in millet helps to structure the cells in the body. It is an essential
component of numerous compounds including adenosine triphosphate or ATP, which
enhances energy in the body. Phosphorus is also an essential component of lipid containing
structures, such as cell membranes and nervous system structure. A cup of millet will provide
you with 17% of your daily phosphorus intake requirement.
Millet comes packed with amino acids called L-lysine ad L-proline. These help to
create collagen in the body, a substance which gives structure to the skin’s tissue. Thus,
eating millet fortifies the collagen level to improve skin’s elasticity and makes it less prone to
wrinkles.
Antioxidants in millets fight stress and neutralize free radicals in the body. This helps
reverse the signs of ageing on the skin. It maintains proper health of the skin by rejuvenating
skin cells. Ubiquinone in millet is also used in beauty products to reduce wrinkles on the face.
Scar tissue has a different cell structure than that of healthy skin, making it rigid.
Alium, an antioxidant found in millet, boosts the blood flow to scar tissue. It blends in the
development of new skin, minimizing the scars. It increases the speed of the skin repair
system, firms the skin and prevents further damage.
Selenium, Vitamin C and Vitamin E in millet guards the skin against sun damage and
skin cancer. Sun damage makes the skin dull and lifeless. These nutrients boost growth of
new cells to make the skin appear younger and more radiant. It also helps to reduce
discoloration and wrinkles associated with sun damage.
Millets are rich in Vitamin E, which is an amazing vitamin for the skin. It penetrates
through the layers of the skin, assisting the body with the natural wound healing process. It
even lubricates the skin and forms a protective layer that serves to keep the free radicals away
from the wound. The high amount of vitamin E in millets can also enhance complexion.
Consuming millets in large amounts protects and preserves cells which give the skin a
more youthful and supple look. It helps to renew damaged cells and makes them stronger by
reducing stress.
Consuming millet helps to retain the natural moisture content in the skin. It makes
dull looking, dry skin, healthier and fresher.
Millets are rich in protein, a nutrient highly recommended for people suffering from
hair loss. Healthy hair requires sufficient intake of protein, as most of the hair itself is made
of protein. The protein found within hair cells is known as keratin, which is directly
responsible for the composition of each strand of hair. Lack of protein can lead to severe hair
loss. Thus, an adequate intake of millets strengthens hair, making it stronger and less prone to
breakage.
Magnesium in millets reduces inflammation in the scalp to treat scalp conditions like
eczema, psoriasis and dandruff. Millet is also beneficial for treating premature balding.
Consuming millet will help in ameliorating metabolic syndrome, a health condition which
causes premature balding.
Millets promote the circulation of blood circulation in the scalp and promote hair growth.
Stress increases cortisol level in the body leading to massive hair shedding.
Magnesium present in millets control hair loss by reducing cortisol level in the body.
Premature graying of hair is caused mainly due to oxidation of the tissues. The potent
antioxidants in millets effectively prevent the corrosion of tissues, thereby reducing the
possibility of premature graying.
Most millets are sold in super markets in the form of tiny seeds with most of their outer layers
of skin removed. Pearl millet and Finger millet have a unique color, texture, aroma and taste. I have
shared quite a few recipes below using these as whole grains and using in flour form. You get both
whole grains as well as flour in shops. Maize recipes, I already have a separate page. Jowar recipes
are also given below.
For the remaining types of millets - barnyard millet, foxtail millet, little millet and kodo
millet, the recipes are quite similar. The taste and texture of these millets are also similar but their
nutritional values are different. You can use them interchangeably in recipes. To cook any of these
millets, first wash the millets in running water using a colandar. Then measure 3 cups of water (or any
stock) for 1 cup of millet. If you want it a little grainier, take 2.5 cups of water. Take the water, salt
and millets in a pot and boil it. Once the liquid boils, reduce the flame and simmer for 15 minutes
until all the liquid is absorbed. Fluff it with a fork and let it rest for another 5 minutes. After that
remove it onto a different bowl so that it doesn't get clumped up and all the grains stay separate. This
can be served with any gravy as a substitute for rice. It can also be used to make a wide variety of
Indian style dishes which I have mentioned below. The recipes includes breakfast, lunch and dinner
ideas that you can easily prepare at home.
Millets can be used to make khichdi or pongal Now that you have known the multiple
benefits of including millets in the diet, we give you some great ways they can be a part of
your food and yet loved.
o You can cook millets instead of rice once a week but make sure to check with
a dietician if you have thyroid issues before consuming millets.
Rice and dal make for a good combination in khichdi. So replacing rice with millets
do not make a big difference in taste but a world of difference in the nutritional profile.
Take this bajra khichdi, jowar khichdi or foxtail millet khichdi for instance. You
could use millets in sweet or salty pongal too. Simple yet salivating millet recipes can be
made.
Millets are available in different forms, even in the semolina version. So you can use
millets to replace traditional wheat rava and make upma. We even found ragi vermicelli and
made a ragi vermicelli upma out of it.
So most of you will be comfortable with chapatis made of wheat flour. We give that
comfort to you but you can make it healthy by incorporating millet flour in wheat flour. You
can have your own combinations to make healthy rotis. Check with your dietician about the
ideal millet to wheat flour ratio especially if you have thyroid troubles.
Eggless Whole Wheat Finger Millet Chocolate Cake-Ragi Chocolate Cake Recipe with
Chocolate sauce
You will not believe that this cake is prepared with ragi flour and whole wheat flour,
if you had not seen the title. I wanted to make this ragi cake since the time I saw the recipe
here.This finger millet/ragi cake is very chocolaty, dense and filling. With chocolate sauce
topping, it was simply fabulous. Besides tasting great, it's literally a breeze to make. You do
not need an electric beater, just mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients using a wire
whisk, that's it. When I gave it to my friends and told them that this cake is prepared with ragi
flour, they could not believe it. It is a great after school snack for kids and no doubt they will
love this cake. You will have the satisfaction that you have made a healthy cake without all
purpose flour.You can prepare this cake for birthdays, get togethers, parties, friends etc.
Today we will learn how to make this guilt free ragi-wheat flour cake following our step wise
pictures.
Ingredients needed
Whole Wheat Flour- 1 cup
Finger millet/ragi flour-1/2 cup
Powdered Brown Sugar-1 cup or white sugar-3/4cup
Baking Soda-3/4 tsp
Cocoa powder -2 tbsp
Salt -a pinch
Thick yogurt-3/4 cup
Milk -1/4 cup +2 tbsp
Any flavorless oil -1/4 cup
Vanilla essence- 1 tsp
Honey-2 tsp
Walnuts toasted and chopped- 1/2 cup (optional)
For the Chocolate Sauce
Milk-2 cups
Sugar-4-5 tbsp
Cocoa powder-4 tbsp
Butter- 1 tbsp
Vanilla essence- 1/2 tsp
For the Chocolate Curls
Dark chocolate- 1 bar
dietary fibre, protein and low in fat Unlike rice, foxtail millet releases glucose steadily
without affecting the metabolism of the body. The incidence of diabetes is rare among the
population which consumes foxtail millet diet. Millet is a grain that should also be included
on your list of heart-healthy choices because of its status as a good source of magnesium. A
cup of cooked millet provides 19% of the daily value for magnesium (source-whfood,
Hindu). Foxtail millet is know as kangni in Hindi, tinai in tamil, Korra in Telugu and Navane
in Kannada and thina in malayalam. Many people think that healthy food is boring and not
delicious, but that is not true.Today we are going to learn how to make nutritious and
delicious khichdi with foxtail millet following our easy recipe.
Preparation
Chop all the vegetable into medium sized pieces.Wash and soak millets along with
moong dal in 1 1/2 cup of hot water for 2 -2 1/2 hours.
Method
Heat oil in a pressure pan, add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add urad dal, cumin
seeds, red chillies, hing black pepper and curry leaves.Add chopped onions, ginger, green
chillies and saute until onions turn pink.Then add all the vegetables, drumstick leaves,
turmeric powder, salt needed and saute for 2-3 minutes.
Add the soaked millet along with the water. Check for salt by tasting the water.Close
the cooker and cook for 2 whistles on medium flame, then simmer for another 5 minutes and
switch it off. Once the pressure subsides, open the cooker, add a tsp of ghee and mix the
kichadi well. Serve hot with any raita of your choice. Believe me, the khichdi tasted
delicious. Do try it and give me your feedback.
This is a very filling and nutritious lunch. It has millets, dal, vegetables, greens, oil
and raita has curd- balanced meal, isn't it? You will get the satisfaction that you are feeding
your body with healthy food. Switch to millet diet 2-3 days a week and see the difference in
your health!
Foxtail Millet is know as Kangni in Hindi, Thinai in Tamil, Korra in Telugu, Navane
in Kannada and Thina in Malayalam. It is a variety of millet. Millets are gluten free and
highly nutritious. The good thing is millets can be substituted in place of rice or wheat in
most recipes. This adai has lentils and millets, so it is highly nutritious, full of fiber and rich
in protein. This adai can be had for breakfast or dinner.
Ingredients needed
Foxtail Millet/Thinai - 1 cup
Tur dal - 1/2 cup
Bengal gram/channa dal/ kadalai paruppu - 1/2 cup
Urad dal (whole urad dal) -1 tbsp
Red chillies -3-4
Hing - a pinch
Salt as needed
Grated coconut -3 tbsp (optional)
Oil for making adai (sesame seed oil preferable)
Preparation
Soak foxtail millet and all the 3 dals (tur dal, channa dal and urad dal) together for 3-4
hours.Grind it along with salt, red chillies and hing just like you grind for regular adai. The
consistency of the batter should neither be thick nor thin. Add grated coconut and mix well.
Method
Heat a tawa, (check by sprinkling water to see if the tawa is hot enough to pour the
batter) pour a ladle of adai batter and spread it in a circular motion just as you do for regular
adai.
Drizzle a tsp of oil around the adai. Once it is cooked, the corners will start lifting up. Flip it
over to the other side. Drizzle another 1/2 tsp of oil and cook well.Remove from tawa and
serve hot with any chutney of your choice. This adai tasted so delicious that it has become a
regular feature in my house.
To know more about millet varieties, how to cook millets and health benefits of millet, check
this post on Millets
Note - In case if you are going to store the batter, do not add coconut. Add coconut only at
the time of making adais.
You can add finely chopped onions, green chillies, 1-2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves
to the tinai adai batter to make it more delicious.
Check out the most popular post and also most tried recipe in this blog- Adai (protien and
iron rich adai)
Ingredients needed
Recipe #1
Whole Urad dal - 1/2 cup
Ragi flour- 4 cups (You will get it ready made)
Salt as needed
Oil for making dosas (sesame seed oil preferable)
Recipe #2
Preparation
Wash and soak urad dal for 2-3 hours. Grind well until smooth and fluffy. I used the
wet grinder for grinding urad dal.
Then add ragi flour, salt needed and mix well so that there are no lumps. Add water if
required to get dosa batter consistency. Keep aside for 4-5 hours to ferment.
In case, if you want to make dosa on the same day without fermenting, you can add a
little sour buttermilk to needed batter and use for that day.
Method
Heat a dosa tawa, take a ladle of ragi dosa batter and spread it in circular motion.
Drizzle a tsp of oil around the dosa. Do not spread too thin like paper dosa.
Once it gets cooked, flip it over to the other side. Let the other side get cooked. Once cooked
remove and serve hot with coconut chutney or sambar. This dosa will be very soft and
delicious.
Add finely chopped onions and green chillies to the dosa batter to make the dosa
more delicious.
Recipe#2
Instant Ragi dosa
Preparation
Mix ragi flour with needed hot water until there are no lumps. Then add onions, green
chillies, coriander leaves, curry leaves and salt needed.
Heat dosa tawa, pour the batter from the outer corners of the tawa and fill the inside of
the tawa just like rava dosa. You cannot spread this batter like normal dosa.Drizzle a tsp of
oil around the dosa. It will take time to get cooked, so have patience.
Once cooked flip it over to the other side and let the other side get cooked.Remove
from tawa and serve hot with chutney. This dosa will taste good only if taken hot from the
tawa.
Those who have difficulty in preparing this rava dosa style ragi dosa can prepare like
regular dosas. Add less water and make small regular dosas. You can also add a little rice
flour if needed.
Recipe #3
Ragi dosa with leftover dosa batter
For 2 cups of dosa batter, mix 3/4 cup of ragi flour and make dosas as usual. Refer
How to make Dosa for detailed instructions, recipe and pictures.
Note - I used ready made ragi flour.
Preparations
Finely chop onions, ginger and all the vegetables.(You can use a mix of carrot, peas,
beans andpotato) Diabetics should avoid potato.Wash millet, drain the water and keep it
aside.
Method
Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add urad dal, red chillies and
hing.When dal turns golden brown, add finely chopped onions, green chilli, ginger, curry
leaves and saute until onions turn transparent.
Then add all the vegetables (carrot, beans, peas and potato) and saute for a few
minutes.Add 1 1/2 cup of water and salt needed. (taste the water and see if the salt added is
enough. If the water is a bit salty, it will be perfect once you add millets.)
When water starts boiling, lower the heat and add the millets stirring continuously.
Cover and cook on low heat stirring from time to time.
Note - You get varagu (kodo millet) with hull and without hull. I have used varagu with hull,
that is why it is brown in color. Whether you use kodo millet with hull or without hull, the
method is the same.
Ingredients needed
Organic Pearl Millet -1/2 cup
Water - 1 1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Preparation
Dry roast kambu until it is hot to touch.Wash the pearl millet well and drain the water.
Keep it aside for 15-20 minutes. Grind it a little coarse if you are cooking in a pan but it is not
necessary if you pressure cook. Picture above shows kambu (as such without grinding it
coarsely) cooked in pressure cooker.
Method
You can cook kambu in a pan or even pressure cook kambu.Heat 2 cups of water in a
pan, when water boils, add kambu and salt needed. Cover and cook on medium flame. Stir in
between to prevent it from getting burnt.
Kambu Sadam in cooker - Add 1 1/2 cup of water and pressure cook for 3 whistles.
Best side dish for Kambu Sadam/Soru - Sambar, kuzhambu or kootu. I had it with mixed
vegetable South Indian style Kadamba Kootu. It was awesome!! I enjoyed it a lot.
Note - I buy organic cleaned millets from health stores. So it saves me the trouble of cleaning
millets.
Preparation
Grease a cookie tray with butter and keep it ready.
Pre heat the oven to 180 degree C for 15 minutes.
Roast ragi flour on low flame until you get a nice smell of roasted ragi. Leave it to cool.
Now all our ingredients are kept ready. Cut butter into small pieces and add to the
sievedragi + wheat flour.
Mix well with your fingers until the mixture become crumbled as shown in the picture
below.
Add powdered sugar or jaggery or brown sugar and mix it well.
Add needed milk little at a time and make a smooth dough. Refrigerate the dough for
15-20 minutes.Dust wheat flour and roll out the dough. The rolled out dough should not be
too thin nor too thick. Using a lid or cookie cutter, cut desired shapes. I have used a round
bottle cap. Press it with a fork as shown in the picture below to give it a striped pattern.
Alternatively, you can make small balls out of the dough, press it between your palms to give
a round flat shape (just like cookies) and make striped design with a fork and then bake.
Place the biscuits on a greased tray and bake at 180 degree C for 15-20 minutes or
until the biscuits start browning slightly. Remove and cool on a wire rack. Once it cools it
will become crisp. Store it in an airtight container.
Variations -For cardamom flavor, add 1/4 tsp cardamom powder instead of vanilla essence.
For cinnamon flavor, add 1/4 tsp of cinnamon powder instead of vanilla essence.
excellent food for those with low hemoglobin levels. It a good source of dietary fiber and is
also gluten free. Ragi idli is a very healthy breakfast and is suitable for kids and older people.
These idlis are soft, spongy and nutritious and very easy to prepare. Learn how to make Soft
ragi idlis using ragi flour following this easy and healthy recipe.
Preparation
Wash and soak urad dal + fenugreek seeds for 4 hours. Wash and soak rice separately
for 4-5 hours.Grind urad dal adding water little at a time until smooth and fluffy. Remove and
keep it in a vessel.Grind rice adding water from time to time to a sightly coarse batter.
Now add the urad dal batter, ragi flour and salt to the rice batter and grind everything
together until well mixed. The consistency of the batter should be similar to idli batter
(neither too thick nor too thin).Remove from the wet grinder and mix it well with your hands.
Leave it to ferment overnight or for 7-8 hours. Use a big vessel to prevent it from over
flowing as it will double while fermenting. Our Ragi Idli batter is ready.
Method
Heat water in an idli vessel or steamer. Mix the fermented ragi idli batter well and
pour a ladle of batter into the idli molds and place it inside the steamer or idli cooker.Steam
cook for 10-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the idli comes out clean.
Once one sprinkle water and remove from the mold after 2-3 minutes.Serve hot with sambar
or chutney of your choice.
Note - The idlis were super soft and delicious without any baking soda or cooking soda. I
suggest using the wet grinder to grind the batter.
You can make delicious ragi dosa also with the same batter.
Ingredients needed
Millet - 1 cup cooked
Oil - 2 tbsp
Onion - 1/3 cup
Garlic - 2 tbsp minced
Preparation
Cook millets following the instructions on How to cook Millets. I have used little
millet (saamai) to make this cutlet. You can use barnyard millet (kuthiraiwali) or kodo millet
(varagu) also to make this millet cutlet. Once you have cooked millets, fluff it with a fork and
keep it aside.Mix flaxseed powder with curd and let is sit for 10 minutes. This is used for
binding. You can use 1 egg in place of flaxseed + curd. Another option is to use cheddar
cheese.Wash, peel the skin and grate carrots using the grater with big holes.
Method
• Heat oil in a pan, add finely chopped onions, green chilli, garlic, ginger and saute
until onions turn transparent.
• Add grated carrot, salt, pepper powder, turmeric powder, harissa spice powder
(optional) and cook covered. Sprinkle water in between and cook until carrots turn
soft.
• Once the carrots are cooked, add cooked millets, finely chopped coriander leaves and
mix well. Cook for a further few seconds.Then add flaxeed + curd mixture and mix
well.
• Leave it to cool. Divide the mixture equally and shape into patties as show in the
picture below. You can refrigerate the patties for 15 minutes, if required.
• Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry the patties both sides until golden brown. Serve with
quick homemade sauce and enjoy.
• Before preparing the cutlets, prepare the sauce or make both side by side.
• Blend the tomatoes and keep it ready.
• Heat olive oil in a pan, add finely chopped onions, garlic and ginger. Saute until
onions turn transparent.
• Add blended tomato puree, salt and pepper powder to taste and cook until it thickens
stirring from time to time.
• Add dry basil and oregano and mix well. Garnish with finely chopped coriander
leaves and serve as a side dish for millet cutlets.
• Enjoy Millet Cutlets hot with quick homemade sauce.
Bajra Atta Ladoo-Bajra Atta Dates Til Laddu Recipe-Healthy Snacks Recipes
Pearl Millet is known by various names like candle millet, dark millet and cattail
millet. It is known as "Kambu" in Tamil, "Bajra" in Hindi, "Bajri" in Rajasthani, Gujarati,
"Sajje" in Kannada, "sajjalu" in Telugu and "Kambam" in Malayalam. (Source Wiki). Pearl
millet is a rich source of iron and is gluten free. I have used dates for making this laddu to
avoid using too much ghee. This laddu is easy to make and tastes delicous. Both adults and
kids will love them a lot. Today we will learn how to make Bajra Atta laddu with dates,
sesame seeds, nuts and jaggery following this easy recipe with step wise pictures.
Ingredients needed
Pearl Millet flour/Kambu flour - 1 1/2 cup
Almonds - 15
Cashew nuts - 15
Dates - 25
Jaggery - 1/4 cup powdered
Sesame seeds - 3 tbsp
Cardamom - 2-3 (powdered)
Ghee/clarified butter - 4 tbsp melted
Preparation
All the ingredients needed for the bajra laddu kept ready below.Dry roast the nuts and
powder it coarsely. You can also chop it into fine pieces if you have patience.Choose soft
dates, remove the seeds, chop it and keep it aside.
Dry roast sesame seeds. Coarsely grind 2 tbsp of sesame seeds alone. Keep 1 tbsp of sesame
seed as such without grinding.
Method
Heat 2 tbsp of ghee in a kadai, and roast pearl millet flour on medium heat until you
get a nice aroma of roasted flour.
Once the flour is well roasted, switch off the heat and add jaggery powder.
Add coarsely ground almonds + cashew nut powder, cardamom powder and coarsely
ground sesame seeds. Mix everything well and dry grind it with chopped dates.
Transfer to a wide vessel or plate. Add whole sesame seeds (remember we kept 1 tbsp
sesame seeds aside) and mix it well.
As we have added dates, we do not need much ghee for making this laddu. I have
used just 2 tbsp of warm melted ghee.
Mix warm ghee little at a time and make laddus batch by batch. Do not add all the
ghee to the prepared bajra laddu mixture. You may need less than 2 tbsp of ghee as the
mixture will bind well because of the dates.
Storage and shelf life - Store it in an air tight container at room temperature. Keeps well for
15 days.
This laddu with bajra, dates, nuts, jaggery and sesame seeds makes a healthy snack
for both kids and adults.
Ingredients needed
Little millet -1/2 cup
Curd/plain yogurt - 3/4 cup
Milk - 1/4 cup (boiled and cooled)
Carrot -2 tbsp (finely chopped)
Raw mango -1 tbsp (finely chopped)
Capsicum -2 tsp finely chopped (optional)
Salt to taste
Method
Wash and pressure cook millets with 1 1/2 cup of water. The millets should be a little
mushy. You can also cook covered in a pan. For more details check out How to cook Millets
Add milk and mash it well when it is hot. Once it cools, add curd, salt needed and mix well.
Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add green chillies, ginger, curry
leaves, carrot and capsicum. Saute for 2-3 seconds and add it to the samai thayir sadam.
You do not need any side dish for this. It tastes good as such.
Most restaurants feature Millet dishes under their diet friendly or health section. This
biryani isn’t just part of the regular menu at the Fun Restaurant at the Dune Pondicherry but
is also one of the mostdelicious biryanis I’ve ever sampled at a restaurant.
Ingredients:
200 gms boneless chicken
150 gms cooked millet (You could use foxtail millet)
1 1/2 Tbsp masala gravy
1 onion chopped
1 tomato chopped
2 Tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves
2 cardamom buds
2 sticks of cinnamon
2 cloves
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp coriander powder
A pinch of garam masala powder
50 ml curd
1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
Salt (to taste)
Method:
1. Heat the bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon & cardamom in a pan.
2. Add the cooked onion and stir for a minute.
3. Add ginger-garlic paste, chopped tomato, mint leaves and all the powders.
4. Add the chicken, masala gravy and curd cook for 5 minutes.
5. Add the millet stir and cook for 5 minutes.
For the Bisi Bele Bath Masala Powder(You could also buy a ‘ready to use’ powder):
Ingredients:
1/4 kg coriander seeds (dhania)
50 gm dry red chilli (guntur – for the pungent flavour)
50 gm dry red chilli (byadagi – for colour)
10 gm cinnamon
10 gm clove
4 piece star anise
4 piece cardamom
50 gm poppy seeds
100 gm black gram dal (urad dal)
100 gm bengal gram dal (chana dal)
4 piece kapok buds (marathi moggu)
Method: Dry roast the above ingredients and powder it using a mixer. This can be stored for
several days.
Bisi Bele Bath Recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup toor dal
1 cup proso millet or foxtail millet
1 cup finely chopped vegetables (beans, carrot, kohlrabi, peas, tomato)
20 gm jaggery powder
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24 Mantra Organic Flour – Bajra is also known as pearl millet and is an extremely healthy
grain that has been grown in the Indian subcontinent for a long time. 24 Mantra is well
known for its organic versions of varied flours and other ingredients. Bajra is also grown and
manufactured organically by 24 Mantra.
MRP: Rs 67.00
MRP: Rs 67.00
Ammae Upma – MilletUpma is a common South Indian breakfast dish, which is cooked as a
thick porridge, flavoured with spices and vegetables. Ammae Millet Upma is a combination
of millets with pulses and wholesome add-ons, which makes it a well-balanced breakfast.
Together, this dish is nutritious, with easily digestible grains containing a good amount of
vitamins and minerals with complex carbohydrates.
Step 1: With every 1 measure of ammae millet upma mix add 3 measure of water and add 2
spoons of oil. Step 2: mix the ingredients well close the lid of the container. Step 3: pressure
cook for 5 whistles. After removing, add fresh cocunut grating and curry leaves for taste.
Millets are high in thyroid affecting goitrogens Ok, so millets are not all painted in
white as well. Millets are known to possess goitrogens, the anti-nutritional factor if you have
thyroid problems. Hence it would be advisable to include them in batters and not eat it every
day like rice or wheat. Do check in with a dietician or a nutritionist before you go overboard
on millets.
It takes only a few weeks for our body to adapt to new kind of food. Be a little patient
and soon you’ll start liking the taste of millets, if you don’t already. Incorporate millets into
your daily food intake in some form or the other and experience the benefits for yourself.
USAGE OF MILLETS
Millet is one of the most ignored food grains in India. The health benefits of millets
are much more in comparison to the other food grains consumed here.
• Millet (Ragi) is available in your nearest supermarket as Ragi seeds, flour, multigrain flour
and ready-made breakfast mixes.
• Its flour is used in India to make breads, chapatti and dosa.
• If stored properly, millet can be kept for more than a year. You can store it an airtight
container, in a cool and dry place.
• Millet flour deteriorates easily so purchase it just before using.
• Millet has no characteristic flavor and adopts the flavor of the food it is prepared with.
• Cooked millet is creamy and fluffy and has a sweet and nutty taste.
• It can be easily cooked using three parts of water to one part of millet.
• Add millet to boiling water and 1 teaspoon of oil and simmer until the water is completely
absorbed.
• Remove from heat and steam for another 10 minutes.
• Less water will give it a fluffy texture while more water will give it a dense texture.
• Millet porridge makes a delicious and healthy breakfast.
Millet is also fermented into gluten-free beer, and is further distilled to make hard
liquor. The sweet tasting, malt drink Boza is also made from millet. For a pleasant change,
cook millet with apple juice instead of water and top it with raisin, almonds and brown sugar
for a tasty treat
PRODUCTION
India, yet per capita consumption of millet had dropped by between 50% to 75% in different
regions of the country. As of 2005, most millet produced in India is being used for alternative
applications such as livestock fodder and alcohol production.Indian organizations are
discussing ways to increase millet use as food to encourage more production; however, they
have found that some consumers now prefer the taste of other grains.
In 2010, the average yield of millet crops worldwide was 0.83 tonnes per hectare. The most
productive millet farms in the world were in France, with a nationwide average yield of 3.3
tonnes per hectare in 2010.
Production
Country
(Tonnes)
India 10,910,000
Nigeria 5,000,000
Niger 2,955,000
China 1,620,000
Mali 1,152,331
Burkina Faso 1,109,000
Sudan 1,090,000
Ethiopia 807,056
Chad 582,000
Senegal 572,155
World 29,870,058
Awaokoshi, candied millet puffs, are a specialty of Osaka, Japan. This millet confection
tradition began when it was presented to Sugawara no Michizane when he stopped in Naniwa
during the early Heian period, about 1000 years ago.
Millets are major food sources in arid and semiarid regions of the world, and feature
in the traditional cuisine of many others. In western India, sorghum (called jowar, jola,
jonnalu, jwaarie, or jondhahlaa in Gujarati, Kannada, Telugu, Hindi and Marathi languages,
respectively; mutthaari, kora, or panjappullu in Malayalam; or cholam in Tamil) has been
commonly used with millet flour (called jowari in western India) for hundreds of years to
make the local staple, hand-rolled (that is, made without a rolling pin) flat bread (rotla in
Gujarati, bhakri in Marathi, or roti in other languages). Another cereal grain popularly used
in rural areas and by poor people to consume as a staple in the form of roti. Other millets
such as ragi (finger millet) in Karnataka, naachanie in Maharashtra, or kezhvaragu in Tamil,
"ragulu" in Telugu, with the popular ragi rotti and Ragi mudde is a popular meal in
Karnataka. Ragi, as it is popularly known, is dark in color like rye, but rougher in texture.
Per capita consumption of millets as food varies in different parts of the world with
consumption being the highest in Western Africa. In the Sahel region, millet is estimated to
account for about 35 percent of total cereal food consumption in Burkina Faso, Chad and the
Gambia. In Mali and Senegal, millets constitute roughly 40 percent of total cereal food
consumption per capita, while in Niger and arid Namibia it is over 65 percent (see mahangu).
Other countries in Africa where millets are a significant food source include Ethiopia, Nigeria
and Uganda. Millet is also an important food item for the population living in the drier parts
of many other countries, especially in eastern and central Africa, and in the northern coastal
countries of western Africa. In developing countries outside Africa, millet has local
significance as a food in parts of some countries, such as China, India, Burma and North
Korea.
The use of millets as food fell between the 1970s and the 2000s, both in urban and
rural areas, as developing countries such as India have experienced rapid economic growth
and witnessed a significant increase in per capita consumption of other cereals.
Grazing millet
In addition to being used for seed, millet is also used as a grazing forage crop. Instead
of letting the plant reach maturity it can be grazed by stock and is commonly used for sheep
and cattle.
Millet is a C4 plant which means it has good water-use efficiency and utilizes high
temperature and is therefore a summer crop. A C4 plant uses a different enzyme in
photosynthesis from C3 plants and this is why it improves water efficiency.
Millet grows rapidly and can be grazed 5–7 weeks after sowing, when it is 20–30 cm
high. The highest feed value is from the young green leaf and shoots. The plant can quickly
come to head, so it must be managed accordingly because as the plant matures the value and
palatability of feed reduces.
The Japanese millets (Echinochloa esculenta) are considered the best for grazing and
in particular Shirohie, a new variety of Japanese millet, is the best suited variety for grazing.
This is due to a number of factors: it gives better regrowth and is later to mature compared to
other Japanese millets; it is cheap – cost of seed is $2–$3 per kg and sowing rates are around
10 kg per hectare for dryland production; it is quick to establish; it can be grazed early; and it
is suitable for both sheep and cattle.
The rapid growth of millet as a grazing crop allows flexibility in its use. Farmers can wait
until sufficient late spring / summer moisture is present and then make use of it. It is ideally
suited to irrigation where livestock finishing is required.
• Introduction of HYV's
• Shift from cultivating traditional millets to maize and sunflower
• Processing problem
• Changing Food habits
• Lack of market support
• Departments and scientists Neglected millets and lack of promotional activity
• Irratic rainfall
• Lack of value addition
Millet is one of the oldest foods known to humans and possibly the first cereal grain
to be used for domestic purposes. Millet has been used in Africa and India as a staple food for
thousands of years and it was grown as early as 2700 BC. In China where it was the prevalent
grain before rice became the dominant staple. There is a mention in Bible that millets during
those times were used to make bread. It is documented that the plant was also grown by the
lake dwellers of Switzerland during the Stone Age.
Millets and rainfed agriculture Rainfed agriculture plays an important role in Indian
economy, as 68 percent of total net sown area (136.8m.ha) comes under rainfed, spread over
177 districts. Rainfed crops account for 48 percent area of food crops and 68 percent area of
non-food crops. Nearly 50 percent of the total rural workforce and 60 percent of livestock in
the country are concentrated in the dry districts.
Karnataka has the highest proportion of drought prone area among all major states in
the country and is the second largest area of dryland in the country after Rajasthan. The land
resources of Karnataka especially its dry drought prone lands that comprises more than 79%
of the total arable area, have been poorly managed by the resource poor farmers of the state.
The total irrigation potential from all sources, including inter basin transfers, is estimated at
around 50 % of the total cropped area of 104.89 lakh hectares by the Karnataka state land use
board. The remaining land has to depend on rain fed farming forever.
What happened?
Following the western model of development, India and other developing nations
have lost out on a lot of useful and meaningful things. Food habits have been one of the
biggest changes. We are quickly forgetting our indigenous foods and chasing standardisation.
Millets too have been discarded as being too primitive to be used, forgetting the roots.
These changes, coupled with state policies that favour rice and wheat, have led to a
sharp decline in millet production and consumption.
Before Green Revolution, millets made up around 40 percent of all cultivated grains
(contributing more than wheat and rice). However, since the revolution, the production of rice
has increased doubly and wheat production has tripled.
GOVERNMENT POLICY
There is a hypothesis that a tilt in government policies that work against millets,
which grow very well in diverse, small-scale, low-input farming systems and are great for
small farmers' livelihoods, is because they do not offer any profit for agro-chemical
corporations, large food companies etc. So the promotion of rice and wheat, which lend
themselves to high investments in machinery, hybrid seeds, fertilizers, pesticides etc., were a
much more lucrative economic strategy.
In defence of the food policy strategists and governments one might add that at the
time, many believed that chemical agriculture would improve yields and food security in the
long run. Even though India is the world leader in terms of production of millets, it should
not be forgotten that the share of millets in total grain production had dropped from 40 to 20
percent, leading to some serious agricultural, environmental and nutritional consequences.
Rice has replaced millets as to be eaten directly, while wheat flour has replaced flours made
out of millets, and is now used extensively to make Indian breads.
LIMITATIONS
• To have a more significant impact on welfare and sustainability, policy needs to
address the structural conditions of vulnerability that limit the viability of more secure
livelihoods.
• It should explore some of the ways that state intervention can make millets more
viable by enhancing their terms of marketability and by providing other kinds of
support.
• *The farmers’ adoption is very low. Information on factors affecting the adoption
improved millet varieties by the farmers is not readily available, forming the basis for
this study.
• *The study covered millet farmers in Mogotio District and therefore any
generalizations made from the findings have to be confined to this groupof farmers.
SUMMARY
Today, a lot of efforts are being put to increase the demand of millets in India and the
world, including changing the mindset of the people. Many organisations are coming up in
support of this cause. Efforts are being taken to educate farmers about better millets growing
techniques. A lot of importance is given to them because of their non gluten tendency. Many
recipes with millets as the base have been floating around too.
One example of a major boost for the cause can be given by the Smart Food campaign.
Smart Food with the tagline ‘good for you, good for the planet and good for the
smallholder farmer’ is an initiative that will initially focus on popularising millets, and
sorghum and has been selected by LAUNCH Food as one of the winning innovations for
2017.
Smart Food will be taken forward as a partnership and many organisations have
already teamed up to popularise millets. In India, this includes Indian Institute of Millet
Research (IIMR), National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), MS Swaminathan Research
Foundation (MSSRF) and Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA).
• Due to its high resistance against harsh conditions, millets are sustainable to the
environment, to the farmer growing it, and provide cheap and high nutrient options
for all.
• Nearly 40 percent of the food produced in India is wasted every year.. Millets do not
get destroyed easily, and some of the millets are good for consumption even after 10-
12 years of growing, thus providing food security, and playing an important role in
keeping a check on food wastage.
• Millet is fibrous in content, has magnesium, Niacin (Vitamin B3), is gluten-free and
has a high protein content.
There is a strong resurgence as far as millets are concerned, but from an individual’s
point of view, it is important to know what one’s body is comfortable with and no drastic
change should be made. Millets' popularity is slowly rising again and many efforts are going
on to make them mainstream again. A balanced approach to bring this crop back in the public
consciousness will go a long way to solve some of the major food issues in the country.
Millets are a group of small seed grasses grown in semi-dry areas of Asia and Africa.
Millets have been widely cultivated as cereal crops or as fodder for animals. Because
millets have a short growing season, can withstand dry and high-temperature conditions yet
yield well, they are popularly grown in the developing nations.
In the developed nations, millets have been relegated to be used as bird feed However,
millets in India are enjoying rising popularity due to a variety of health benefits of millets.
CONCLUSION
“There is a need to change the image of millets. Make them more modern and create a
buzz around them. Developing appropriate consumer products is a key component to
achieve this. They are highly nutritious and have health benefits, use less water and have
high drought tolerance and increasing their market value benefits farmers”
“Millet cultivation provides farmers more economic stability than commercial crops”
• Indian population is at risk on both ends of the spectrum i.e. infant mortality,
malnutrition and stunted growth on one hand, and, obesity, cardiovascular diseases
and other lifestyle diseases on the other. Millets with their nutritive properties should
be supported by government policies like procurement and inclusion in PDS,
insurance cover and making them part of Mid-day meals in schools. Millets along
with rice, wheat and pulses/oilseeds can be used to enhance nutrition in food products
such as porridges, chapattis, breads, ladoos, pastas, biscuits, cookies, cakes, and
several fermented foods including probiotic drinks.
• Need an integrated approach as,“…despite the proven advantage of mixed-farming
systems, INSIMP is trying to promote intensive mono-cropping of millets. Green
Revolution-style, high-external-input agriculture is being advocated through this
scheme and the use of chemical inputs is being promoted. There is voluminous
scientific evidence to show that such methods are yielding negative results, what with
poisoned soil, polluted and plummeting groundwater levels and mounting costs,
especially for marginal and small farmers, having come to mark Indian agriculture.
Even M S Swaminathan has acknowledged this, in calling for an Evergreen
Revolution and the promotion of sustainable agriculture.” (DTE)
• The finger millet's dietary fiber and polyphenols have been recognized to offer several
health benefits such as anti-diabetic, protection from diet related chronic diseases,
hypocholesterolaemic, antioxidant, and antimicrobial effects to its regular consumers.
Moreover, it is likewise rich in carbohydrate, energy and nutrition, making finger
millet an important ingredient of dietary and nutritional balanced foods. The regular
use of finger millet as a nutrient and its products helps in managing different disorders
of body by maintaining blood glucose homeostasis. Also the whole meal-based finger
millet products may be desirable due to the protective role of seed coat matter that
have health enhancing benefits.
• To conclude, only limited policies and schemes explicitly include millets.
• There are no exclusive Government schemes/projects/ programs for small millets.
• Of the available schemes, the most important ones are
• Initiative for Nutritional Security through Intensive
• Millets Promotion (INSIMP) as part of Integrated Cereals Development Programmes
in Coarse Cereals based Cropping Systems Areas
• There is a lot of variation across the states on how they utilise these opportunities for
promoting millets. Further most of the states usually focus on sorghum, pearl millet
and finger millet and leave out many of the small millets while implementing these
schemes.
• Such experiences underline the importance of awareness raising and positive image
building particularly in areas where millets are perceived as inferior grains.
• Many details remain to be specified under the NFSB and much regional work will
need to be done to achieve feasible models for millets inclusion.
• Here also there is possibility of unduly side - lining small millets and so necessary
design and implementation caution to be taken.
BIBILOGRAPHY
Books refered
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millet
• https://truweight.in/blog/food-and-nutrition/millet-weight-loss-recipes-health-
benefits-side-effects.html
• http://www.theecostore.in/ProductList/Millets-Whole?subcategory2=49
• https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/millet.html
• http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/cultivation/cultivation-of-millets-and-their-
uses-in-india-cultivation/11431
• http://sri.ciifad.cornell.edu/aboutsri/othercrops/fingermillet/In_SFMI_Pradan.p
df
• http://agropedia.iitk.ac.in/content/harvesting-and-storage-pearl-millet
• http://www.wassan.org/Millets/resource_4.htm